Sodium channel protein type 9 subunit alpha

UniProtKB accession:  Q15858

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UniProtKB description:  Pore-forming subunit of Nav1.7, a voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channel that directly mediates the depolarizing phase of action potentials in excitable membranes. Navs, also called VGSCs (voltage-gated sodium channels) or VDSCs (voltage-dependent sodium channels), operate by switching between closed and open conformations depending on the voltage difference across the membrane. In the open conformation they allow Na(+) ions to selectively pass through the pore, along their electrochemical gradient. The influx of Na(+) ions provokes membrane depolarization, initiating the propagation of electrical signals throughout cells and tissues (PubMed:15385606, PubMed:16988069, PubMed:17145499, PubMed:17167479, PubMed:19369487, PubMed:24311784, PubMed:25240195, PubMed:26680203, PubMed:7720699). Nav1.7 plays a crucial role in controlling the excitability and action potential propagation from nociceptor neurons, thereby contributing to the sensory perception of pain (PubMed:17145499, PubMed:17167479, PubMed:19369487, PubMed:24311784).